Is 2GB memory or 20-inch screen significant?

[ron dj]

I'm planning on purchasing an iMac and I'll mainly watch movies and play Warcraft III once in a while, so what is more essential, everything else being the same: 17 inch w/ 2GB RAM, or 20 inch w/ 1GB RAM?

 

[wakerider017]

20" ALL THE WAY!

You can do RAM later... can't upgrade screen size...

 

[Eidorian]

20" ALL THE WAY!

You can do RAM later... can't upgrade screen size...

I agree entirely. Wait until the DDR2 prices drop later on. Get the bigger screen now since you can't change it later.

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

Definitely the 20''. Can't upgrade the screen later, but you can upgrade the RAM.

Besides, at 1GB of ram, you don't even need more ram. You can get more for better performance, definitely, but once you pass 512MB and into 1GB, you'll see satisfactory performance. And yes, it will run WCIII well.

 

[Josephkyles]

Warcraft 3 will play fine on one gig.

 

[zap2]

20''..with out a doubt.

 

[Konradx]

20" for sure. I have one at work, and im getting a 24" on the way. 1 gig is more than enough for now. 17" = ice age

 

[StealthRider]

I have a 20", and, looking at a 17-inch iMac in the Apple Store a few days ago, I wondered how I ever could have considered something that small. Go for the 20", and never look back.

 

[ron dj]

wow, great.. thanks for all the advice, it's definitely made a difference in my decision.

one last question tho, should I upgrade to the 256MB VRAM of memory for the graphics?

oh, and should I ever upgrade to 2GB?

 

[nagromme]

256 could help with games, and you probably can't do that upgrade later, so I would consider it.

2GB RAM could also help general performance (fewer little "hesitations")--but that CAN be done later.

 

[rogersmj]

I totally agree with everything said here. I purchased my first Mac yesterday, a 20" iMac. Although I do eventually want to upgrade it to 2GB, it is already very snappy on 1GB, even with some Rosetta apps running (like Office 2004), and as it has been said -- you can always upgrade the RAM but you can't upgrade the screen. I bought it in the store so I stuck with the 128MB of vRAM, especially after reading benchmarks that indicated at most you got a 3-5% increase in gaming performance by going for the 256MB of vRAM. Besides, I don't game all that much. But I did setup XP on BootCamp tonight, and played UT2004 at full 1680x1050 resolution with Normal to High graphics settings and it was smooth as butter. Granted, that game isn't one of the latest and greatest, but that's what I benchmark things with. I'm going to try FEAR multiplayer next.

 

[StealthRider]

VRAM is non-upgradable, so do that first. Get RAM from a cheaper third-party.